RingRx is updating its e911 service on January 30th, 2024. The update is routine and is not expected to have any impact on your normal communications service. The impact to your e911 service will be minimal.
For details about e911, please review the section below titled “What is e911?”
In general, with e911, the 911 operator you reach when you call 911 will be aware of the location associated with your phone service. They will almost always confirm your location, since RingRx is a mobile oriented technology, they can never be certain of your geographical location. But FCC regulations require RingRx provide at least some location information whenever a customer of our calls 911. E911 is a service that allows us to bind a location to your phone number to give the operator a most likely probability of your location. The operator should confirm your location, and you can verbally notify them if it is not what appears on their screen.
The update we have planned for January 30th, 2024 at approximately 8pm PST will temporarily cause your location to not be visible to the e911 operator. When the operator does not see a location, they will simply ask you for your location. Thats it. The update should only take a few hours to complete and after the update is done, your location should be visible to the operator.
911 Test Number changing
RingRx provide you with a method of testing your e911 settings without having to actually call 911. To test your e911 settings prior to the update, simply dial 711. After the update, this test number will change to 933.
What is e911?
E911 (Enhanced 911) is an emergency telephone system in North America that provides enhanced capabilities for locating and responding to emergency calls. It is an upgraded version of the traditional 911 emergency service that incorporates additional features to assist emergency services in locating callers.
E911 was developed to address the limitations of the original 911 system, which primarily relied on the caller to provide their location verbally. With E911, the emergency services can automatically receive the caller’s location information, which is particularly important for mobile phones.
Here are some key features of E911:
Automatic Number Identification (ANI): E911 automatically provides the emergency call center with the caller’s telephone number, allowing them to quickly identify the caller’s location and retrieve any associated information.
Automatic Location Identification (ALI): E911 enables the transmission of the caller’s location information to the emergency call center. For traditional landlines, this is typically the address associated with the phone number. For mobile phones, it may include GPS coordinates or triangulation data from nearby cell towers.
Callback Capability: E911 allows emergency call centers to call back the caller if the call gets disconnected or if additional information is needed.
Support for Text Messages: E911 systems are increasingly being enhanced to support text messaging, allowing individuals to send text messages to emergency services when making a voice call is not possible or safe.
The implementation and capabilities of E911 can vary depending on the location and the technology infrastructure in place. It is crucial for individuals to provide accurate location information when making emergency calls to ensure prompt and effective response from emergency services.